GAME NOTES: The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders try to get back in the win
column Saturday when they host the lowly Rice Owls in Conferece-USA action at
the Murphy Center.

The Blue Raiders' nine-game winning streak came to a crashing halt Thursday
when they shot just 35.4 percent in a 55-39 loss to Louisiana Tech. The ugly
setback dropped Middle Tennessee to 11-3 in league play, now in a three-way
tie atop the conference standings entering the weekend, with Southern Miss and
Louisiana Tech.

There were no double-digit scorers in the season-low output for the Blue
Raiders, though Neiko Hunter, Shawn Jones and Reggie Upshaw all netted eight
points.

Jones (14.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.0 bpg), was held to six points, but he managed to
tally eight rebounds and five blocks to make an impact. Hunter is MTSU's
second option on the offensive end with 13.2 ppg and Kerry Hammonds is close
behind at 12.4 ppg.

Rice is looking to bounce back after another loss on Thursday, this time a
last-second heartbreaker to UAB as Chad Frazier made a layup with two seconds
left in regulation, sending the Owls to a 61-60 loss.

The Owls sit at the bottom of Conference USA at a mere 2-12, in part because
they average just 63.0 ppg and are getting outrebounded by nearly five boards
per contest. Obi is contributing 11.7 ppg and a C-USA best 9.7 rpg, while
Ramljak is also netting 11.7 ppg while shooting less than 40 percent from the
field on the season.

Middle Tennessee has won two of the three all-time meetings between the
programs, though they have not met since 2004.

The Blue Raiders need to keep pace in a very tight race for the conference
title, and a slip-up against the cellar-dwelling Owls doesn't seem likely.